BROOKS
1) Who are the "we" of the poem?
2) Look carefully at the rhyme and rhythm of the poem. What do they add to the
meaning of the poem?
1) What do you think will happen to the seven?
2) What mood do you think Brooks is trying to evoke in this poem? Why?
1) What kind of rhythm is Hudgins using in the poem?
2) Vocabulary: asphalt, hurtled, flinched, haunch, slewed, vetch.
1) What kind of language does Hudgins use to describe the injured dog? What
is the overall effect?
2) What do you make of his use of very specific detail in short bursts at the
end of the poem?
3) Characterize the speaker and the driver of the pick-up. What kind of clues
does the poem give you about them?
Academy of American poets entry: http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=166
Modern American Poetry site: http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/brooks/brooks.htm
Philip Larkin Society Homepage: http://www.philiplarkin.com/
Academy of American Poets entry: http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=179
Desperado Literature: Very interesting analysis of Larkin's poetry: http://lidiavianu.scriptmania.com/philip_larkin.htm
Academy of American Poets entry: http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=355
Excellent interview done by high school students: http://www.southernvoices.org/attractions/I-Hudgins-Interview.html